This trend is a consequence of factors
including weather, politics, and proximity to big
cities, according to Barbara Cimaglio, the
Vermont Department of Health's deputy commissioner for alcohol
and drug abuse programs.

"You have everything from the colder climate, which tends to be a
reason some people give, to more liberal attitudes, to higher
income levels, to people having more access, but I don't think
anyone knows for sure," Barbara Cimaglio told Business Insider.

Cimaglio pointed out that marijuana accounts for a large portion
of the state's drug use. Vermont ranked highest in the U.S. for
marijuana use, with about 13% of people saying they've used it in
the past month.

"I think what drives this up tends to be the higher use of
marijuana, and if you look at the states [with high illicit drug
use], they tend to be the states that have decriminalized or have
more favorable attitudes toward use of marijuana," she said.

Trafficking from out-of-state drug dealers has also worsened
Vermont's drug problem, likely because the state has highways
that feed into big cities.

"I think Vermont is really in sort of a perfect storm
because we're on that highway between Montreal, Boston, New York,
and also going to Philadelphia," Cimaglio said. "You have to go
through Vermont to get to some of the bigger cities like Boston,
so it seems like some people are just trafficking along the way
and Vermont is one of the stops."

Within the last year or so, she said, she's heard more
stories of burglaries related to drug trafficking and more
stories about people being arrested in Vermont who aren't from
the state.

Seven Days, an independent newspaper in Vermont,
reported earlier this year that large amounts of heroin have
been coming into the state from big-city dealers who can sell the
drug at a higher price in Vermont. The drug is coming from New
York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit.

A bag of heroin that would cost $5 in a big city can sell
for as much as $30 in Rutland, Vt., the city's police chief James Baker told the
newspaper. Vermont
is seeing an uptick in heroin use, Cimaglio confirmed.